SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association)- Addressing the simpleminded, shallow and breaching people in Kufa, Imam Sadjad (A.S) said: “O people! I put you on your oath to tell me in the name of Allah, whether you know that at one time you wrote letters to my father and then deceived him. You made firm promises with him and then rose to fight against him. May Allah destroy you, may you reap the harvest of your misdeeds in both the worlds, and may you be disgraced for the indecent policy which you have adopted. How will you face the Prophet of Allah when you are brought before him on the Day of Judgment and with which eyes will you look at him? At that time the Holy Prophet will tell you: “You have killed my children and behaved towards me dishonorably. You are not my followers”.

These few sentences of the Imam changed the thinking of the people of Kufa and the smiling faces of those persons who had mostly come to see the prisoners blushed with shame. They tried to control themselves but could not do so. At last the groanings and lamentations of the people could be heard from different sides.[i]

Imam Sajjad’s sermon in Kufa included the following:

• Introducing himself and his progeny

• Narrating the sorrowful story of Karbala tragedy

• Expressing complaints to the people of Kufa on writing letters to Imam Hussein (A.S) and breaking their promise

Imam Sadjad (A.S) delivered another sermon in the precincts of Medina for the people who had come to see the sorrowful caravan of captives. This sermon, too, deeply affected people so that a year after Ashura tragedy people of Medina revolted against Bani Umayyah. Their revolution is known as Harrah Uprising.

Purposeful and Saddening Tears

Imam Sadjad (A.S) used to shed tears on every occasion to commemorate the martyrs of Karbala. Today, all the lamentations that have formed the culture of Karbala come from his incessant efforts. When they asked the Imam about his crying he said: “Woe on to you! Prophet Jacob (PBUH) had twelve sons; however, when Allah took away one of them, grief overtook him so much that his hair was whitened, his back was bent, and he lost his vision due to excessive crying, even though his son was actually alive. But I witnessed with my own eyes how my father, my brother, and seventeen of my family members were killed. So how do you expect my sadness to be relieved or my lamentation to be over?”[i]

Supporting Anti-Oppressor Uprisings

One of the major impacts of Ashura Uprising was creating the spirit of epic and courage among the Muslims. The free people of the world took aspirations from the Ashura Uprising and the revelations of Imam Sadjad (A.S) and Hazrat Zeinab to rise against the despotic rulers. Three distinguished uprisings were Tavvabin, Mokhtar Saqafi, and Medina.